Here Is the Place
by Renee Quin
Summary: Katniss and Peeta. No love triangle. Some sexual content will be introduced later on.
1. Chapter 1  Luxuries

Being a girl from the Seam, I did whatever I could to protect my family. Even if it meant volunteering for, Prim, my younger sister. I wasn't confident that I could win. But I knew that my sister had to live, no matter what it took. When Effie calls Peeta Mellark's name, I immediately begin to have flash backs. I remembered seeing him around school, catching eyes with him, and most importantly, the night he saved the lives of my family as well as my own. Tossing the burnt bread my direction after receiving an injury to the face from his mother for burning them saved us.

The boy of bread is shaking my hand, looking down into my eyes. For the first time, I'm noticing how blue his eyes are. They captivate me; however, not after I realize no one volunteered to take his place. I owe this boy my life, but I never knew literally.

Over the next few days; after train rides, dress-up, interviews and meal times he stops me before I walk into my room for the night. There was no one else in the halls. Effie and Haymitch are already asleep.

"Katniss," he whispers, "have you been on the roof yet?"

I didn't expect him to ask me that. Let alone that we were able to get onto the roof. I shake my head and he leads me to it, and for the first time, I notice the stars in the Capitol. I assumed every inch of sky would e polluted with light. The heavenly bodies are beautiful, almost as beautiful as the ones back home. Then the thought hits me like a sack of bricks.

Home. I will never see it again.

"This is beautiful Peeta." Still gazing into the sky. He gives me a hug that startles me into reality. I don't wrap my arms around him and he immediately lets go. His smile leaves his face.

"What?" The tone in his voice startles me yet again.

"Nothing, I just," I look around his face, hoping the words will appear in his eyes. "I'm just scared," My own words take me off guard. The words break and are almost inaudible. As I'm yet again searching for words, he breaks the silence.

"I am too." He hugs me again and leaves me on the roof-

The next morning I wake to Effie banging on my door to get me ready for training. I take my time, but I try not to spend all morning. I walk out and I hear yelling down the hall, it's only when I hear glass break I begin to sprint towards the argument. I notice Peeta standing at one end of the table with a bleeding hand. An Avox, which is a traitor of the Capitol with their tongues removed, tending to him. He rushes out of the room with out a glance in my direction.

"What happened, Haymitch?" Who is stunned, still seated. He looks at me when my words register.

"He wants to be coached separately."

At training he doesn't come near me at all. I'm good with a bow, but I want that to be a surprise for the others. I'm not sure what Peeta is good at. However I shouldn't care because one of us has to live, and I don't want to personally kill him. When I think about it. I don't want him to die. I owe him my life and my family's lives,

It's time for the personal training session and I end up shooting an arrow in the Gamemakaers' direction. I don't hit anyone of course, but I shot the apple out of the mouth of a roasting pig.

The last interview that we have, Caesar has me talk about Prim, and I just imagine I'm talking to Cinna. Its Peeta's turn and I have no idea what he is going to talk about. Caesar immediately asks him if he has a "special girl". For some odd reason, my heart felt like it stopped beating momentarily. Peeta tells him, "Well, there is this one girl."

It takes another pause.

"I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember."

It almost stops entirely. I'm on the edge of my seat, waiting for his next set of words.

"But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping."

Oh god, poor Peeta. He clearly never got the nerve to even talk to her. But he's such a nice person. He clearly deserves anyone he wants. Caesar asks if she's taken already. Peeta's answer is slightly reliving for his sake. She's not, but apparently a lot of guys like her. I start thinking of various girls, trying to see who fits the description. No one comes to mind.

Caesar tells him, "So, here's what you do. You win, you go home. She can't turn you down then, eh?" That's it! That's how I can repay Peeta. I will make sure he makes it to the end, becomes a Victor, and he will be repaid. Peeta's face isn't reassuring my thought though. I become confused.

"I don't think it's going to work out, Winning… won't help in my case,"

Oh no

"Why ever not?" says Caesar. As confused as I was earlier.

Oh god no.

"Because…" he lifts his head. "because… she came here with me."


	2. Chapter 2  Carved

I suddenly see my face plastered on all of the screens I can see. I notice a tear has escaped my eye. Caesar expresses his unhappiness for the situation with as little emotion as possible. He dismisses the interview and as every tribute including myself is heading back, a rush of emotions starts to overwhelm me.

_He means me. Why did he wait until now to say something! It wasn't even directed to me! _I feel my face getting hotter. _Or maybe… that's not what he is really doing. Maybe he has come up with some plan that will brutally take me out! _

Even thought my thoughts are unsettling, I am still determined to help Peeta win. When we are on the same elevator. He decides to finally break the silence.

"I'm still scared Katniss," his eyes are trained on a spot on the door. "I'm more scared than I have ever been in my entire life."

Not knowing what to say to this exactly; stupidly, I tell him, "Everyone is scared about the Games Peeta." _Shit! Now I look insensitive to his fear of dying for the Capitol's entertainment._ "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean tha-"

He hugs me again. This time much tighter. I actually hug him back, and my tears refuse to stop flowing from my eyes.

He ushers me to the roof again, were I am sure to find peace from surveillance. I sob for a few more minuets. When I think they've stopped, I look at Peeta, hoping I'll finally be able to say what I wanted to from the beginning. "Thank you."

"For what? Taking you here? It wasn't even that big of a-"

"No Peeta, I don't mean that. I mean that day… with the bread." for some reason, I can't get myself to look at him.

"Katniss," he holds my chin up, "don't thank me for the bread." I get confused, "I couldn't just sit there while my crush was dying."

My heart lurches. But I'm not sure at what. "Peeta, about that…. thing you told Caesar?" _And the rest of Panem. _"I want to say something in response… but… I just can't…" I see his face turn. "I can't find the right words to tell you that I…" he lets go of my face. I begin to panic. "I can't find the right words to tell you… that I feel…. Similar."

_Idiot! You can't even figure out your feelings in you head, but you already go off and tell the boy your jumbled thoughts right after he so clearly confesses his love?_

"It's ok Katniss." he gets up to leave, I am still panicking, so I rush towards him and kiss him. Deeply. I haven't kissed anyone before. It was such an interesting moment. He was too shocked to kiss me back, but I know he would've if I wasn't so confusing. I get up apologize, and head to my room.

I can't seem to fall asleep for hours. I think about heading to the roof, but my mind returns to Peeta. He is bound to be up there if he can't sleep either. It's the night before the Games. A few more hours go by and I tell myself he couldn't be up there.

I step onto the roof and I was wrong. I could see his silhouette from the Capitol lights. I don't know what to say to him, so I try to be as quiet as possible. When I remember what time it is, I tell him that he should get some sleep. He regurgitates what I just said and I feel a slight edge in his voice.

"Are you feeling alright?" silence.

"Peeta." I need him to talk to me.

"Katniss." this isn't a question.

"Couldn't sleep?" he nods. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"You mean the kiss?" I nod. "Don't apologize. I've been dreaming of that moment for years, and when it happened… I couldn't even hold you in my arms. You walked away before I could even registered what happened."

_Shit. It is my fault he's mad._

On top of it all, yet again I have nothing to say. I already apologized. He hasn't looked at me this entire time and I feel ignored.

Furious, I grabbed his shoulder and turn him towards me. His blue eyes stun me again. _I hope this doesn't happen to me every time I look into them._ He looks at me for a few minutes and I still haven't said anything. I slowly get onto my tippy-toes, and kiss him. He slowly wraps his left arm around my waist and holds my face with his right hand. We pull away at the same time and he smiles at me.

"I hope this isn't the last time I get to kiss you." remembering our situation, my heart plunges. I bury my face into his chest.

"Me too." is all I manage to say. Choking back tears.-


	3. Chapter 3 Electric

Its time to get ready for the games, the outfits are simple, but Cinna manages to make me look fantastic as always. He pins my mockingjay onto my jacket, I thank him and wait for the beginning of the games. The glass cylinder raises and my heart pounds.

Sixty slow seconds tick by and I take in my surroundings. I see the supplies, which I was advised to stay away from, and I see Peeta. He's looking around but I can't tell what for. The gong sounds and I miss my mark. I grab the closest thing to me while many of the other tributes fight to the death over the weapons. I run for a while into the woods, and I realized I didn't see where Peeta went. Shit! I promised myself I would protect him!

Even though I need to find him, I am still heading in the same direction. I need to stay alive if I am to find him.

I've been hunting for hours and periodically the canon fires. Every time, I hope it isn't Peeta. By the end of the day, I have already cooked my game so the smoke from my fire wouldn't be spotted.

The anthem plays and the pictures of the dead tributes are shown. _Thank god Peeta or Rue isn't up there._

Rue reminded me of my younger sister. I still wonder what her secret skill was, only because I am curious. I think that if I end up having an alliance, I want it to be with her.

At night, I use the sleeping back that I have acquired at the Cornucopia and strap myself into a tree. After a few hours of needed sleep, I hear deliberate breaking of branches and soon there is a fire started. I begin to panic, knowing that the fire could be visible by almost anyone in the dark sky of night.

Soon, I hear footsteps running towards the fire. I know she's a goner. After the alliance attacks her and begin to walk away, they begin to question the lack of a cannon. They have a small argument regarding if she is dead or not. The voice that I hear next almost makes me want to vomit. It's Peeta. He, out of every non-Career in the entire arena, had teemed up with them. I mean, my intention was to help keep Peeta alive, but he has stooped so low as to join them! I am absolutely furious with him. I thought he wanted to fight for himself, not the Capitol.

Peeta heads back to the girl and I hear a cannon. My heart manages to drop again. He really has stooped so low. I hear the Careers talking about him. One questions why they don't just kill him already. I start to grip my knife as they say it. Another one answers by telling him it's a way to find "her". Which they mean me. They assume I'm "simpleminded" and refer to when I was spinning in my dress.

As the day goes on, I am having trouble hiding my emotions due to the lack of water. My supplies contain a water bottle, but it's empty. I search for hours and decide to sleep when its night fall.

The next day it's even harder to get moving. My head hurts, and I am fatigued. I get my gear together and I begin to get angry at Haymitch. He could easily send my some water. I yell "Water" and wait. Minuets go by and there is no little parachute to bring me life. Then I wonder, _is Haymitch sending me a message? _He must be. I keep pushing on and I eventually collapse. I being to tell myself _keep going, it has to be close. _And eventually I reach it. I fill my bottle, put a few drops of iodine in it, and gulp the sweet liquid. I do this multiple times and I then wash the dirt and grime off of my body in the stream.

That night, as I'm in the sleeping bag, a strange smell permeates my nose. I then notice the gigantic wall of fire heading straight for me.

Luckily I make it out alive. And after I examine my injury, I decide to sit by a tree. I hear other tributes are near by and I begin to run, they hear me run and start to chase me. I hear their smoke damaged voices call to one another. They must be Careers and I realize climbing a tree might be my best option. They search around the tree I'm in and I decide to taunt them. "How are you?"

A few words back and forth, and I invite Cato up. He fails and falls on the ground. He then helps me realize that I'll be stuck in this tree until they leave. I notice a figure in the opposite tree and I adjust my eyes until I see Rue. Rue! She points up wards and I notice the wasp nest. I think for a few minuets and I prepare to drop the nest onto them. As I wait on my original branch my first gift from a sponsor shows up and I rub the ointment over my calf.

The next morning I look down and see the Career pack and Peeta asleep on the ground. I motion to Rue that I plan on dropping the nest and she quickly disappears. I slowly saw the branch holding the nest and, one by one, I feel individual stings on different parts of my body. They hurt, but I'm determined to drop this nest. Finally, it breaks free.

The Careers are flailing around and I laugh to myself at how silly they look. But they wasps haven't forgotten about me either. One yells "To the lake! To the lake!"

Glimmer and another girl aren't lucky enough to be on their feet. They can't run from the insects. The wasps then turn to the other Careers that are fleeing the scene. The stings begin to take effect and I feel woozy. Glimmer is twitching to death on the ground. The sun hasn't even risen yet and so much mayhem has occurred. I hurry to pry the weapon from her while the hovercraft closes in. When I have the weapon in my hands, I examine the condition. They seem fine other than the layer of grime that has come from Glimmer's body.

One of them has sprung from the brush with a spear, aimed at me. Then I see that it's Peeta's face. The gorgeous face that has betrayed me. I have prepared to be killed by him, but he doesn't lay a hand on me. He's telling me to flee. _I am so confused. I thought that he joined them to come after me. _He asks me if I'm mad. Of course I'm mad, but I can't tell him that. Not now.

When I see Cato cut his way through bushes with his sword, I decide to do what Peeta told me to do. I run as fast as I can. I'm still disoriented but I try to find some tree to climb it. I start to feel the venom affect me. And as I'm lying under a tree, my last conscious thought is _Peeta Mellark just saved my life._


End file.
